Taximeter-flag control



Feb; 11, 192 1,526,334

F. O. GRAY TAXIMETER FLAG CONTROL Filed May 12, 1923 MM (z'ra y Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK O. GRAY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR OI-IMER FARE REGISTER CDM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TAXIMETER-FLAG CONTROL.

Application filed May 12, 1923. Serial No. 638,456.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FREDERICK O. GRAY, a citizen or" the United States, residingin the city of Dayton, county of Montgomery, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Taxime ter- Flag Controls, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a device for effecting the complete movement of a control shaft having a plurality of significant positions to another of such positions when it has been slightly displaced from its first significant position. The invention is shown as applied to a taxicab fare register device, or taximeter. The purpose of these machines is to register and indicate the fare due from the passenger according to the distance traveled and the time consumed in waiting, or while the vehicle is traveling under a predetermined speed. The taximeter usually includes also various auxiliary mileage and time counters. It is customary in these machines to provide a control shaft for effecting; such functions as connecting and disconnecting the fare re istering devices, the mileage countinc" devices and the time counting devices with their actuating mechanisms, and such other incidental functions as may be found necessary. The control shaft is extended at one or both ends outside the casing of the machine and carries at one end a flag or suitablesignal which indicates by its position whether or not the machine is registering, and the character of the registrations being effected. Incidentally the flag: indicates to the public by its position whether or not the vehicle is For hire. Since the control shaft-effects rertain operative relations, as already stated, and is designed to indicate by the position of its flag the operation being carried out by the machine. the shaft and its flag have definite positions of certain significance, and it becomes important that they be definitel located in these significant positions and not permitted to occupy any improper intermediate positions, under which circumstance it would be impossible to ascertain with any degree of certainty in what way the taximeter was functioning. I

The object of this invention is, therefore,

to provide devices associated with such acontrol shaft which will become efi ective when the shaft is slightly displaced from one significant position to effect its complete movement to a second significant position.

A further object of the invention is to provide, associated with the control shaft, a cam which will serve the double function of locating the shaft in its initial position and of effecting its movement to a second position when it is slightly displaced from its initial position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device auxiliary to the cam device above described and tendingto effect the same operation.

A further object of the invention is to utilize. for the purpose outlined, certain elements already present within the machine.

A further object of the invention is to adapt the devices provided for the purpose outlined, to go within the casing at present used on a certain type of taximcter without displacing other ecessa y parts of the machine.

More specifically, my invention is shown as applied to a taximeter of the type de scribed in Patent 1,136,164 of April 20, 1915 to F. Ohincr et al., and Patent 1,182,408 of May 9, 1916 to J. F. Ohiner et al. and in certain pending applications. The taximeter therein described comprises three series or banks of counters. The first of these are visual counters includinga fare counter and an extras counter. The fare counter is adapted to be driven an amount proportional to the distance traveled or to the time consumed in waiting. The extras counter is operated manually by the driver. The second series of counters are adapted to print on a ticket to be issued to the passenger the amount payable for fare and extras, the number of the ticket and certain identification data. The third series of counters are adapted to print a record and include beside the counters in the first two series, certain mileage and time counters the operation and functions of which are fully described in the patents above identi fied. T

In the drawings Fig. Ti: shows an end cation of my invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation showing the flag shaft and cams thereon in the position they occupy when the machine is in hire. Fig. 3 1s a front elevation of the devlceconstitutlng my invention and so much of the taximeter as is necessary to illustrate the attachments thereto.

The shaft- 20 is adapted to be driven from the ground wheel of the vehicle. This shaft carries two worms 21 and 22, meshing respectively with gears 23 and 24 loosely mounted on'studs carried by the frame plate These studs also carry intermeshing gears 26 and 27 adapted to be driven from the gears 23 and 24, by one way ratchet and pawl mechanisms fully described in Patent 1,136,164 above cited. A gear 28 mounted on a stud 29' in anarm 30 is adapted to mesh with the gear 27. Rigid with the gear 28 is a pinion 30 which is-in mesh with a gear 31 loosely carried on a shaft 32. This gear drivesthe shaft 32 by a ratchet and pawl mechanism fully described in pending application 587,219. filed September 9, 1922. The clock mechanism is indicated generally by 33. The way in which the various counters contained in the machine are driven and the details of these counters form no part of the present invention. It is sufficient to say that all fare counting devices are actuated from the shaft 32, that all mileage counting devices are actuated from gear 26 and that all devices moved proportional to elapsedtime are actuated from the clock mechanism.

For the purpose of swinging the gear 28 into and out of mesh with gear [27, the arm carrying this gear is pivoted on shaft 32 and is extended upwardly and-rearwardly from'said shaft, its upper end engaging the periphery of a cam 34 on the control shaft 35, said arm being held in engagement with said cain by spring 36. An arm 38 also controlled by cam 34 acts to start and stop the clock at the proper times. Various other functions are performed by the control shaft 35, which shaft is extended through the case of the machine and carries at'its end the signal 39 which indicates by its position whether or not thema'chine is registering, and if registering, what the character of the registration is. To locate the shaft in its initial or For hire position, a 02111140 is fixed thereon. Engaging the periphery of this cam is a roller41 carried by an arm 42 pivoted at'43, to the frame plate 25, and pressed against the periphery of the ,cam a stout spring 44. Aslight depression 411-in the periphery of this cain, clearly illustrated in Fig. .2, is occupied by the roller 4l=when the flag is in For hire position (Fig. 1) and serves 49 carried by the printer shaft 48.

to'locate the flag and the control shaft in this position. hen the central shaft is slightly displaced from For hire position by movement of the flag or signal 39, the,

roller 41 leaves the depression 411, and by its engagement with the inclined surface 45, tends to force the control shaft towardits second position, in which position the roller occupies the depression 46. The depression 411 and the incline 45 are so related that roller 41 engages the incline 45, and spring 44 thus tends to move the flag to Hired position after a very short movement of the flag 39. This characteristic is of great import ance, for as long as the roller 41 engages surface 411 the spring 44 tends to restore the flag to For hire position, instead of forc ing it toward Hired position. Moreover the flag'or' controlshaft 35 is usually pro vided with some form of full stroke device which prevents retrogrademovement thereof prior to the completion of the forward stroke. 'Thus, if the spring 44 draws the flag toward For hire position, and the full stroke device prevents such movement,

the flag may be retained indefinitely in some intermediate position, and the correct functioning of 'the meter thus defeated. This is a defect which is inherent in all the taxiineters prior to my invention of which I am aware.

The construction of other parts of the taiiimeter may limit the size of cam 40, and thus theeffectiveness of spring 44 in rotating control shaft nism is prorided.

The control shaft 35 carries a multilated gear 47 adapted to mesh with a sector gear Y means of these gears the control shaft is restored to initial. position near the completion of the printing operation. as fully explained in the aforementioned Patent 1,182,408, to Ohiner et al. For the purpose of assisting in automatically moving the control shaft to its second position when it is slightly displaced from its initial position, a link 50 is pivoted to the mutilatec'l gear 47 at 51. To the free end of thislink is attached a spring 52, the opposite end of this spring being attached to the base plate of the machine at The link 50 is slightly curved to pass the control shaft 35., and its point of attachment 51 to the mutilated gear is so'located that when the control shaft is in initial position the point of attachment 51, the control shaft 35, and the fixed end of the spring 53 are.

in line. In this dead center position it is apparentthat the spring 52 has no tendency to rotate the control shaft 35. However, as soon as the control shaft is slight- To insure that. flag 39 and shaft35 will move to fined 'sitions, means independent of ly displaced, the spring 52 becomes effective, assisting spring 44 in promptly moving the control shaft to its second position. The correct n'iovement of the control shaft is thus assured.

I do not intend that this invention shall be construed as limited to the precise structure herein described and illustrated in the drawings, but wish it to be construed to cover all equivalent devices falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a taximeter, a control shaft having a plural it of significant positions, a device effective on a slight movement of said shaft from its first position to complete its movement to anotherposit-ion, said device comprising a cam and a spring pressed actuator therefor, and a second device auxiliary to said first device comprising a spring drawn link.

2, In a taximeter, a control shaft having a plurality of significant positions, and a device effective on a slight movement of said shaft from its first position to com plete its movement to another posit-ion.

3. In a tanimeter, in combination, a control shaft having a plurality of significant positions, a signal attached thereto and serving as a manual operating means therefor, and means effective on a slight initial move ment of said shaft from its first position by manipulation of said signal to complete its movement to its second position, said means comprising in part a cam on said control shaft, and a spring pressed arm operative on said cam.

l. In a taximeter in combination, a con trol shaft having a plurality of significant positions, a signal attached thereto and serving as a manual operating means therefor, a locating device the movement of said shaft from its initial position to its second position and to yieldingly retain said shaft in its significant posaid signal for returning said control shaft to its initial position, and means auxiliary to said movement completing and locating device associated with said returning means.

5. In a taximeter, in combination, a control shaft having an initial position and a second significant position, a device comprising a cam tending to complete movementof said control shaft, a second deviceauxiliary to the first device and comprising a disk on said control shaft, a pin eccentrically placed in said disk, a connecting link mounted on said pin, and 2.

adapted to complete spring attached to the free end of link and to the machine frame.

6. In a taximeter, in combination, a control shaft having an initial position and other significant positions, a device for completing movenient of said shaft to its second position comprising a crank device on said shaft, a link pivoted thereto and a spring tensioned between the free end of said link and the machine frame, the point of attachment of the spring to the frame being such that when the control shaft is in initial position the control shaft, the crank and link are indead center relation.

7. In a taximeter, in combination, a control shaft having an initial position and other significant positions, a device comprising a cam for moving said shaft to its second position when slightly displaced from initial position, the configuration of the cam rendering said device inefiective when said shaft is in initial position, an auxiliary crank and connecting link device also tending to move said shaft to its second position but in dead center position when said shaft is in initial position.

8. In a taximeter, a control shaft having an initial position and other significant positions, a cam on said shaft, a spring pressed arm, a roller on said arm acting on the periphery of said cam, the configuration of said cam being such that said spring maintains said cam and shaft in initial position but when they are slightly displaced from initial position completes their movement to a second significant position.

9. In a taximeter, a control shaft having an initial position and other significant positions, a cam on said shaft, a spring pressed arm, a roller on said arm acting on the periphery of said cam, the configuration of said cam being such that said spring maintains said cam and shaft in initial position but when they are slightly displaced from initial position completes their movement to a second significant position, a disk on said shaft, a stud eccentrically placed on said disk, a link pivoted to said stud, and a spring tensioned between the free end of said link and the machine frame, the point of attachment to the frame being so located that when the shaft is in initial position the stud is in alignment with the said point of attachment and the center of the shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FREDERICK O. GRAY.

said 

